Animal hitches have been proposed in the prior art. Examples are H. E. Kelley U.S. Pat. No. 469,254, Feb. 23, 1892 for Cow Tie and E. E. Goheen U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,492, Jun. 2, 1981 for Quick Hitch for Animals or the like.
Each of these hitches depend upon a passing of a cross-bar toggle rod fitting attached to the end of a chain or line axially through a retention ring or cylinder of a diameter that retains the fitting when the cross bar is maintained perpendicular to the axis of the ring or cylinder. However secure hitching is not assured when there is slack in the hitching line that might allow the crossbar fitting to align axially and pass back through the retention ring or cylinder. Also, it is desirable that any fitting be self contained as an integral part of the leash or line so that it cannot be lost or misplaced, rather than being the auxiliary cylinder of U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,492.
Furthermore, with active animals jerking and pulling on a leash, a hitch about a hitching post must not only be secure so that the animal cannot get away, but also must be simply and quickly made without requiring significant manual dexterity or hitching time.
Hitches also must be adaptable to different sized hitching posts for fastening to rails, trees, fenceposts and the like which have different dimensions. The hitch should also be snug to avoid considerable slack about the hitching post in order to be held at particular heights above ground by means of a bulge in the post for example. Also, regarding health of hitched animals on a leash, neck damage can result with slack about the hitching post when it is abruptly spent by pulling on the leash.
Accordingly it is an objective of this invention to provide an improved hitchable leash for animals that is quickly adaptable to a wide range of hitching post configurations, that overcomes the foregoing problems and achieves the foregoing desiderata.